Gospel: Mark 1:14-20
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
St. Mark introduces us to the beginning of Jesus at the end of John the Baptist. John had proclaimed the imminent coming of the Messiah. Now the time was fulfilled and the kingdom had come. In other words, St. Mark considered the Messiah to BE the kingdom and the good news!
As the Messiah, Jesus continues to proclaim the same message as John the Baptist, “Repent and believe!” Jesus goes to Galilee where he will start his ministry. He has a plan for his message and will prepare a team that will later be entrusted with his mission and aims. Jesus has to prepare this team, to sanctify them through faith to teach, preach and serve the people of God through love. These are the main foundations and reasons that the church exists - sanctification through the sacraments, teaching through preaching and modeling humility in life, and administration of the different church services.
We see Jesus choose disciples that will become apostles in the church and take the good news to the far ends of the earth. Jesus calls simple people that are first fisherman and second families that share a business. They are united in their professional commitment and mutual trust. This is how St. Mark tells us of the first four disciples.
When Jesus calls them, they leave everything - their nets, their boats, the hired men, the fish catch of the day and even their father. We can read how St. Mark is impressed by Jesus’s action and the disciples’ reaction. Verse 18 says, "immediately they left..." Why are these fishermen so attracted and so obedient to his call? How impressive was Jesus’s look and his voice as he addressed them?
Let us meditate on how this gospel speaks to us today. Do you see Jesus speaking to you? Calling you? What is your reaction? Are you reading a 2000-year-old text or is it a call addressed to you today that you want to respond to immediately? Are you ready to leave your thoughts, convictions, belongings and friends to follow Jesus? We know he calls us out of love. How long do we need to respond to his call?
P.S. Zebedee means butter or cream. Families were often named according to their vocation. They must have owned many cows, goats and sheep. Perhaps James and John are the “icing on the cake.”
Fr. Kamal - January 24, 2021